Resource management in a wireless communications network

ABSTRACT

Detection of an unbalanced network load and redistribution of network traffic to balance the network load is provided herein. Load balancing across different radios in the same sector of a cell site can be facilitated through detection of the unbalance network load and changes to one or more parameters can be made to rebalance the network load. After radios within a sector are more evenly balanced, network load balancing across sectors can be facilitated. The balancing can be performed to improve system performance, reduce a dropped call rate, as well as to achieve other benefits that can provide an improved user experience as compared to systems that do not attempt to balance the network load.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of, and claims priority to,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/691,495, filed on Nov. 30, 2012, andentitled “RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK”. Theentirety of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject disclosure relates to wireless communications and, alsogenerally, to the management of resources in a wireless communicationsnetwork.

BACKGROUND

The wide adoption of mobile devices along with ubiquitous cellular datacoverage has resulted in an explosive growth of mobile applications thatexpect always-accessible wireless networking. This explosion has placedstrains on resources that are scarce in the mobile world. On the userside, dropped calls and poor communication have been blamed for userdissatisfaction. On the network side, instances of dropped calls andpoor communication can occur due to improperly managed resources, whichcould occur during normal usage and/or during periods of heavy usage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various non-limiting embodiments are further described with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example, non-limiting system configured to manageresources in a wireless communications network, according to an aspect;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example, non-limiting system configured to balanceresources in a wireless communications network, according to an aspect;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example, non-limiting system that can beconfigured to define capacity, according to an aspect;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example, non-limiting system configured to shiftresources between sectors, according to an aspect;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example, non-limiting system configured to balanceresources based on user device activity level or mode, according to anaspect;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example, non-limiting system that employs anartificial intelligence component, which can facilitate automating oneor more features in accordance with the disclosed aspects;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example, non-limiting method for detecting that atraffic load is unbalanced and automatically balancing the traffic load,according to an aspect;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example, non-limiting method configured to manageresources in a wireless communications network, according to an aspect;

FIG. 9 is a schematic example wireless environment that can operate inaccordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of access equipment and/or softwarerelated to access of a network, in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a computing system, in accordancewith an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the subject disclosure will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exampleembodiments are shown. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the various embodiments. However, thesubject disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

The disclosed aspects relate to managing resources (e.g., voicecapacity, data capacity, and so forth) in a wireless network, which canbe problematic especially due to the exponential growth of voice anddata demand. For example, the introduction of advanced mobile devices(e.g., smart phones) and the proliferation of applications that takeadvantage of the usable bandwidth on a network have increased the amountof data being consumed within a wireless network. It has been estimatedthat data demand has grown more than five thousand percent within thelast few years. Further, it has been observed that as a larger amount ofbandwidth is provided, the quicker the available bandwidth is beingconsumed. For example, as more capacity is added and as more bandwidthhungry applications (e.g., streaming video, streaming music, and soforth) are enabled, the number of users taking advantage of theseapplications is increasing and a larger amount of data is beingconsumed. However, capacity expansion is difficult and expensive.Wireless communications systems can be operated with a planned level ofcongestion (e.g., a projected congestion level) in order to manage thecapital investment necessary to provide the increasing amount of neededbandwidth. However, even in the presence of congestion planning,resource management remains important in order to satisfy the networkdemands.

The disclosed aspects provide for the efficient utilization of networkresources (e.g., voice capacity, data capacity, and so forth). In animplementation, the disclosed aspects can be configured to utilize asmany resources as possible within the geographic area (e.g., footprint)of the sector(s). Since a network only has a finite amount of spectrumor cell sites available to support the demand, utilization of thespectrum in a cost efficient manner is important and should beimplemented regardless of the demands placed on the system during normalusage, during high usage, during near congestion periods, and so on.Spectral efficiency (or bandwidth efficiency) refers to the informationrate that can be transmitted over a given bandwidth in a communicationsystem. Spectral efficiency is usually measured in bps/Hz/sector and isa measure of how efficiently the spectrum is utilized by the physicallayer protocol and/or the media access control (e.g., channel accessprotocol).

The link spectral efficiency has an effect on the spectral efficiency ofthe network. The link spectral efficiency is the net bit rate (ormaximum throughput rate) divided by the bandwidth in hertz of acommunication channel or a data link. Link spectral efficiency can bemeasured in bps/Hz. In an attempt to maximize the link spectralefficiency, the transmission technology efficiencies and/or the systemspectral efficiency of the system can be changed in accordance with thevarious aspects. For example, the transmission technology efficienciescan include efficient coding, modulation approaches, and so on. Thesystem spectral efficiency is a measure of the quantity of users and/orservices that can be supported at about the same time by a limited radiofrequency bandwidth in a defined geographic area and can be measured inbps/Hz/sector or in bps/Hz per unit area. Changing the transmissiontechnology efficiencies and/or the system spectral efficiency caninclude changing the relative efficiency of the various radios that aredeployed on a per sector basis and/or changing how well the variousradios are deployed between sites as discussed herein.

For example, in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),each radio (e.g., carrier) can occupy about 5 MHz of spectrum in theuplink and about 5 MHz of spectrum in the downlink and there can beseveral radios per sector. Thus, if a network has four carriers persector, the total capacity used among the four carriers can be optimizedin accordance with the disclosed aspects. Further, from a total systempoint of view, the total capacity of the sector, in conjunction with itsother neighboring sectors (e.g., adjacent sectors), can be optimized,according to an aspect. In this regard, for the avoidance of doubt, anyembodiments described herein in the context of optimizing resourcemanagement are not so limited, and should be considered also to coverany techniques that implement underlying aspects or parts of thedescribed aspects to improve or increase resource management, even ifresulting in a sub-optimal variant obtained by relaxing aspects or partsof a given implementation or embodiment.

There are various ways to improve system spectral efficiency byadjusting parameters between carriers (e.g., radios) and between sectors(e.g., sites). The disclosed aspects provide for the evaluation ofbenefits of various approaches in order to improve capacity, quality,and coverage. Further, adjustments to the system, including movement ofnetwork traffic between spectrum allocations (e.g., radios, carriers,and so on) within a sector and/or between sectors (e.g., sites), areprovided.

It is noted that although various aspects and embodiments are discussedherein with respect to UMTS, the disclosed aspects are not limited to aUMTS implementation. For example, aspects or features of the disclosedembodiments can be exploited in substantially any wireless communicationtechnology. Such wireless communication technologies can includeUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA), Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for MicrowaveAccess (WiMAX), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced GPRS,Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE),Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband(UMB), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access(HSPA+), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed UplinkPacket Access (HSUPA), Zigbee, or another IEEE 802.XX technology.Additionally, substantially all aspects disclosed herein can beexploited in legacy telecommunication technologies.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, illustrated is an example, non-limitingsystem 100 configured to manage resources in a wireless communicationsnetwork, according to an aspect. System 100 can be configured to performself-configuration such that one or more resources can be balancedacross radios located in a sector, according to an aspect. In animplementation, system 100 can be configured to balance the one or moreresources across carriers or across different radios in the same sectorof a cell site.

For example, a first carrier (e.g., radio) might be handlingseventy-five percent of the network traffic on the sector and a secondcarrier might be handling only twenty-five percent of the networktraffic on the sector. Since the first carrier is handling such a largeamount of network traffic, the first carrier might have a higher droppedcall rate than the second carrier, which can result in an increase inuser dissatisfaction. Therefore, system 100 can be configured to balancethe network traffic within the sector so that there is not a largediscrepancy between the two (or more) carriers. For example, system 100can balance the network traffic so that there is a close to afifty/fifty percentage split, a forty/sixty percentage split, and soforth, between the first carrier and second carrier. By balancing thenetwork traffic load more evenly across the carriers, a lower overalldropped call rate can be achieved as well as the reduction of othercommunication issues that could result in user dissatisfaction.

System 100 can be implemented in a network (e.g., base station, accesspoint, sector, and so forth) or at a higher level within the network. Inan implementation, system 100 can be implemented by a third party. Aspreviously noted, although various aspects are discussed herein withreference to UMTS, the aspects are not limited to a UMTS implementation.Instead, the various aspects can be utilized with other networktechnologies and UMTS technology is utilized herein for purposes ofexplaining the various aspects.

System 100 can include at least one memory 102 that can store computerexecutable components and instructions. System 100 can also include atleast one processor 104, communicatively coupled to the at least onememory 102. Coupling can include various communications including, butnot limited to, direct communications, indirect communications, wiredcommunications, and/or wireless communications. The at least oneprocessor 104 can facilitate execution of the computer executablecomponents stored in the memory 102. The at least one processor 104 canbe directly involved in the execution of the computer executablecomponent(s), according to an aspect. Additionally or alternatively, theat least one processor 104 can be indirectly involved in the executionof the computer executable component(s). For example, the at least oneprocessor 104 can direct one or more components to perform theoperations.

It is noted that although one or more computer executable components maybe described herein and illustrated as components separate from memory102 (e.g., operatively connected to memory), in accordance with variousembodiments, the one or more computer executable components could bestored in the memory 102. Further, while various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

System 100 can include a resource manager 106 that can be configured toanalyze a resource of interest and determine how the resource ofinterest is distributed across radios located within the sector. Theresources that can be managed include, but are not limited to, voicecapacity and data capacity. According to some implementations, resourcesthat can be managed include power, codes, erlangs (e.g., a unit thatmeasures network traffic), radio links, and/or combinations thereof.Additionally or alternatively, resources that can be managed includeresource blocks, scheduler blocks or scheduler slots, frequency layers,power settings, power utilization, IP loading, quality of service (QoS),and/or combinations thereof. In accordance with some implementations,management of resources can include balancing a load (e.g., a networktraffic load) associated with cellular network coverage and Wi-Finetwork coverage. However, it should be understood that resources otherthan those listed can be managed in accordance with the disclosedaspects.

The resource manager 106 can be configured to receive an indication ofthe one or more resources that should be analyzed. For example, theselection of resource(s) of interest can be dynamically configurablesuch that different resources can be analyzed depending on variousparameters (e.g., network operating procedures, system efficiencies, andso forth). Further, although a particular resource might be analyzed andbalanced during a first balancing procedure, a different resource mightbe analyzed and balanced during a second balancing procedure, which canbe a function of changing conditions at the sector. In anotherimplementation, the resource(s) of interest can be identified based onan input that is received (e.g., from a network component, from anetwork operator, and so on) at about the same time that the resourcesshould be analyzed.

In an implementation, the resource manager 106 can be configured to usea measurement of capacity per radio to determine how the network load isdistributed. For example, the resource manager 106 can determine themean capacity (e.g., average capacity) per radio, such as by using thenumber of radio links (e.g., the number of voice sessions being used).However, it is noted that resource manager 106 can utilize otherresources to measure the capacity per radio and radio links are merelyan example. The resource manager 106 can further use the measurement ofcapacity per radio to determine the average capacity difference for eachradio from the mean (e.g., average) value. For example, resource manager106 can determine whether the measured capacity for each radio is higherthan the mean, lower than the mean, or about equal to the mean todetermine how the network load is distributed.

If the resource manager 106 determines that the one or more resources ofinterest are not distributed relatively evenly within a sector and/or ifrebalancing should be performed to improve system performance, anotification is sent to a resource balancer 108. Based on theresource(s) of interest, resource balancer 108 can be configured todetermine how to redistribute the resource(s) to achieve the desiredresult (e.g., reduction in dropped calls, better system performance, andso forth).

The resource balancer 108 can be configured to slowly move networktraffic between the radios in order to more evenly distribute theresource(s). In an implementation, the resource balancer 108 can choosea parameter that has pre-defined (e.g., small) increments in order tolevel the network load among the radios. For example, in an UMTSimplementation, the parameter Qoffset2sn, which is an offset valuerepresenting an offset between a source cell and a target cell, can beused by the resource balancer 108 to level the load.

The resource manager 106 can continue to monitor the one or moreresources of interest. The monitoring can be performed periodically,continuously, or based on some other parameter (e.g., based on anindication of heavy usage, an indication of network traffic nearing acongestion level, and so forth). In an example, at about the same timeas the resource balancer 108 moves the user devices (e.g., networktraffic) among the radios, the resource manager 106 can review the oneor more resources of interest and determine whether more adjustmentsshould be made. In such a manner, a feedback loop can be providedwherein resource balancer 108 continues to redistribute resourcesincrementally until a more balanced network is achieved.

In accordance with some aspects, system 100 can comprise a database 110that can store default parameter values, which can be the parametervalues before load balancing is performed. According to an aspect, theparameter values at each iteration of the load balancing can be storedin the database. If it is determined that network performance or networktraffic levels drop below a certain threshold level, the defaultparameter values can be restored and/or parameter values at a previousiteration (which exhibited network performance or network traffic levelsabove the threshold level) can be restored.

It is noted that a database can include volatile memory or nonvolatilememory, or can include both volatile memory and nonvolatile memory. Byway of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can includeread only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electricallyprogrammable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or flashmemory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM), whichcan operate as external cache memory. By way of illustration and notlimitation, RAM is available in many forms such as static RAM (SRAM),dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM(DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), anddirect Rambus RAM (DRRAM). The memory (e.g., data stores, databases, andso on) of the various disclosed aspects is intended to comprise, withoutbeing limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example, non-limiting system 200 configured tobalance resources in a wireless communications network, according to anaspect. System 200 can move network traffic between two or more radiosin a sector in order to more appropriately balance resources within thesector. The balancing of the resources can provide a better userexperience, including a reduction in the number of dropped calls.

As discussed, it can be beneficial to improve the sector level spectralefficiency (bps/Hz/sector) as well as the system spectral efficiency.Since the sector level spectral efficiency interacts with other sectors,a balanced load across radios on a given sector should be attempted.Using a measure of capacity per radio (which will be discussed infurther detail below), the system 200 can attempt to balance each radio(carrier).

Included in system 200 can be a capacity evaluator 202 that can beconfigured to compute the mean capacity per carrier (Carrier_mean_cap).According to an implementation, capacity evaluator 202 can ascertain thecapacity utilized compared to the network traffic carried, such as byevaluating the number of radio links used and the equivalent erlang.

Also included in system 200 can be a differentiator 204 that can beconfigured to compute the (average) capacity difference (+/−) for eachcarrier from the mean. The average capacity difference for each carriercan be above (+) the mean or below (−) the mean.

Based on the average capacity difference, a parameter manipulator 206can choose a parameter with pre-defined increments in order to level theload amongst the carriers and adjust the parameters per carrier towardsthe mean. For example, in an UMTS implementation, the parametermanipulator 206 can use Qoffset2sn, which biases selection of onecarrier over another carrier by a certain dB level (e.g., receivedsignal code power (RSCP), energy per chip-to-total noise andinterference power spectral density (Ec/No), and so forth). In animplementation, the parameter manipulator 206 can adjust the Qoffset2snby +1 dB from Carrier x to Carrier_mean_cap.

Also included in system 200 can be an analyzer 208 that can beconfigured to determine if the load between radios has been balanced.For example, analyzer 208 can determine if themax(Capacity_carrier_x-Carrier_mean_cap) is more than 1 dB. If themaximum is less than 1 dB, no further action is taken. If the maximum ismore than 1 dB, through a feedback loop, the capacity evaluator 202 (oranother system component) can be triggered and the mean capacity percarrier can be computed again, which should be different since the loadhas been distributed, at least incrementally. A similar process can beperformed by the system components until themax(Capacity_carrier_x-Carrier_mean_cap) is less than 1 dB, according toan aspect.

Thus, the appropriate input for the condition (e.g., resource) to bebalanced can be analyzed. For example, assume there are four resources(or four carriers) and radio links are to be balanced. For those fourcarriers, the load across each carrier on the specific group in the facecan be analyzed to determine if the carriers are balanced. In thisexample, a first carrier has 50 links, a second carrier has 5 links, athird carrier has 17 links, and a fourth carrier has 12 links. Thus,system will attempt to achieve a more even state among the carriers. Forexample, appropriate offsets values can be set to achieve a more evenbalance of radio links across the carriers.

In another example, if the resource of interest is a scheduler, all theresources on the face can be evaluated. If it is determined that thereare 120 user devices in the scheduler on a first radio and on a secondradio there are 12 users, the network traffic should be shifted from thefirst radio to the second radio. The shifting of the network traffic canbe performed between the two radios in order to rebalance the networktraffic such that each radio has network traffic that represents around55 and 75 users, in this example. Such balancing can provide anincreased level of throughput for the user devices, which can provide abetter user experience.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example, non-limiting system 300 that can beconfigured to define capacity, according to an aspect. System 300 caninclude a capability monitor 302 that can be configured to determine themaximum amount of a resource that can be handled by a carrier without adegradation in services. For example, if scheduler slots are theresource of interest, capability monitor 302 can determine the highestnumber of scheduler slots that can be adequately handled by the carrierunder evaluation. Further, the capability monitor 302 can determine amore optimal number of resources (scheduler slots in this example) thatshould be handled by the carrier of interest. The more optimal number ofresources could be more than the number currently being handled, lessthan the number currently being handled, or approximately the same asthe number currently being handled. For example, the maximum number ofschedule slots that might be able to be handled by the carrier might be100 scheduler slots, however, it might be better if the carrier onlyhandled a maximum of 70 scheduler slots.

In an implementation, the capacity evaluator 202 might determine that afirst carrier is handling 81 scheduler slots, a second carrier ishandling 65 scheduler slots, and a third carrier is handling 65scheduler slots. In this case, although the discrepancy between thecarriers is not a large discrepancy, the resource balancer 108 mightdecide that some of the load (e.g., scheduler slots) should be moved offthe first carrier and pushed to the second and third carriers. Theredistribution of the load can be performed in order to bring the numberof scheduler slots handled by each carrier closer to an evendistribution of resources.

To determine how to distribute the resources among the three carriers inthe above example, differentiator 204 can compute an average capacitydifference for each carrier from a mean value. For example, capacityevaluator 202 can determine that the mean capacity per carrier (in theabove example) is about 70 scheduler slots (e.g., 81+65+65=211/3=70.3).Thus, a resource distributor 304 can determine that the first carrier is11 scheduler slots above the mean and the second and third carrier are 5scheduler slots below the mean. The resource balancer 108 can utilizethe difference from the mean to redistribute the resources, according toan aspect (e.g., move 10 user devices from the first carrier, wherein 5are moved to the second carrier and 5 are moved to the third carrier).

In an implementation, the capacity evaluator 202 (or another systemcomponent) can be configured to evaluate benefits of various approachesin order to utilize the appropriate approach. For example, capacityevaluator 202 can consider one or more of the capacity gained versus thequality under a given capacity and/or the coverage under the givencapacity.

The capacity can be defined through one or more measurement approaches.For example, a measurement approach can be defined as the percentage ofnetwork traffic gained versus the baseline (e.g., the network trafficbefore changes). For example this metric can be represented as the“traffic after changes” minus “traffic before changes” divided bytraffic before changes, which can be expressed as:

(traffic after changes−traffic before changes)/traffic before changes

Although the above metric can be useful, the metric does not take intoaccount additional potential headroom in capacity in the absence ofartificially loading up the system to test the limits.

Another example of a measurement approach that can be used to definecapacity includes the capacity utilized verses the network trafficcarried, for example. In an implementation, a power/equivalent erlangmeasurement can be used for the definition. In another implementation,the radio links used/equivalent erlang can be utilized for thedefinition. In a further implementation, the percentage of radio linksused versus the maximum (e.g., links used/links possible) can beutilized for the definition of capacity.

For the power/equivalent erlang measurement approach, the amount ofamplifier power utilized (e.g., for power limited systems such as UMTSor LTE) as a measure of the capacity utilized and the amount ofequivalent erlangs for a measure of network traffic is used. Thus, whencomparing two algorithms, the algorithm with the smallest powerused/equivalent erlang is desired, assuming equivalent quality andcapacity.

In high capacity venue situations, while power is a good measure toindicate how much of the total amplifier capacity (and, thus, carriercapacity) is being used in the system, if a carrier uses data and voice,it does not allow prioritization of voice versus data. Thus, it may beuseful to break down power into voice power and data power.Unfortunately, in UMTS this may not be possible in some situations,since in these situations breakdowns of power are non-HS power (whichincludes voice+ADCH-HS signaling+R99 data) and HS power (power forHSPA). For this reason, in some high capacity situations, it may beuseful to allocate resources based on links used, which will bedescribed in further detail below.

Collecting power measurements can be possible during a set of variableamounts of time. For example, collection of power measurements might beperformed every fifteen minutes from the operational support system(OSS). However, according to other implementations, the collection ofpower measurements can be performed at other time intervals, includingrandom time intervals.

For the radio links used/equivalent erlang measurement approach, thenumber of radio links utilized can be analogous to how many voicesessions are being used. This measurement can be useful to allocateresources primarily based on voice, and data takes the resourcessecondarily, as might be useful in some high capacity situations.

Using the number of radio links can be a useful measure, as it can bemeasured relatively quickly in wireless systems. For example, a commandcan be issued that will return the number of radio links for allcarriers on a given cell site. Another advantage of this measurementapproach is that it is often available near real-time (e.g.,approximately once a minute) from the OSS.

For the percentage radio links used measurement approach, the totalnumber of radio links utilized can be measured as a function of thetotal number of links possible. For example, the number of linksutilized should take into account first, the four way handover links.According to an aspect, the total number of links possible could be usedas the maximum number of codes possible.

A potential drawback of the above mentioned measurement approaches isthat such approaches do not necessarily evaluate future events thatmight occur. For example, such approaches do not anticipate furthernetwork traffic that may be coming into the system, such as the case forvenues that will have a larger than usual amount of network traffic.These types of venues can include stadiums that have a very large numberof users where it might be somewhat necessary to look ahead in time andprepare for potential network traffic coming in order to avoid potentialoverloads (e.g., a network traffic congestion situation). Therefore,according to an aspect, another way that capacity can be defined isthrough the use of weights or rankings for each resource. For example,the capacity can be defined as weight1 multiplied by the capacityutilized plus the sum of one minus weight1 multiplied by the capacityneeded by inactive but registered users/camping users versus the networktraffic carried. This can be expressed as:

weight1*Capacity utilized+(1−weight1)*(Capacity needed by inactive butregistered/camping users) vs. traffic carried

The above noted measurement approach can vary the weight percentagetrades-off capacity now versus future needs. Capacity utilized in thiscase can be defined as “power”, “number of radio links”, and “capacityneeded”, which could be a function of the average capacity used byactive users.

In a similar manner, there can be several ways to measure quality. Thequality measurement should balance dropped calls, blocked calls forvoice and coverage, while some measure of data performance may be usefulas well. However in some cases, improvement of voice often covers dataconcerns. The methods to measure these metrics can be a function of thetechnology and/or vendor implementation. While improving all threemeasurements individually can be different, it can be useful to combinethe metrics into one composite metric.

According to an aspect, the composite metric can be determined based ona weighted linear average. This can be determined based on weight1 (w1)multiplied by the dropped call rate plus weight2 (w2) multiplied by theblocked call rate plus weight3 (w3) multiplied by the percentagecoverage gain/loss verses the base line, which can be expressed as:

w1*dropped call rate+w2*blocked call rate+w3*% coverage gain/loss vs.baseline

The advantage of the above approach is that a determination of what therates should be to match the composite metric versus customer opinionsurveys and other information can be performed.

According to another aspect, the composite metric can be determined by amultiplicative metric, which can be determined based on a drop ratemultiplied by the block rate multiplied by the percentage coveragegain/loss verses baseline. This can be expressed as:

drop rate*block rate*% coverage gain/loss vs. base line.

An advantage of the above approach is that it accomplishes theminimization of all three metrics. However, it does not have weights(e.g., ranking) to utilize in order to improve performance.

Additionally or alternatively, it is possible to use a composite metricthat also includes capacity and the overall metric can be improved.However, in some aspects, a particular capacity approach can be chosenand then the quality can be measured. In an aspect, the quality can bemeasured by comparing to a similar network traffic load according to anexample.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example, non-limiting system 400 configured toshift resources between sectors, according to an aspect. The system 400can improve system spectral efficiency by adjusting parameters betweenradios and/or between sectors. A resource manager 106 can analyze thedistribution of resources among radios in a sector. For example, theresource manager 106 can be configured to evaluate the distribution ofthe resources within the sectors by analyzing the one or more resourcesof interest to determine how those resources are distributed. Forexample, if radio links are the resource of interest, the resourcemanager 106 can determine the number of radio links for each radio inthe same sector on a cell site. If the radio links (or other resource)under analysis are balanced fairly evenly across the radios, no furtheraction is taken. However, if the radio links (or other resource(s))under analysis are not proportionally balanced across the radios,further action can be taken by system 100 in order to more evenlybalance the load (or to balance the load based on other considerations).

A resource balancer 108 can shift the network traffic from a heavilyused radio to a lesser used radio in the same sector. Thus, the resourcebalancer 108 can be configured to redistribute the load. For example,the resource balancer 108 can set (or reset) offsets or other parametersin order to move some of the resources off a heavier loaded radio andonto a lesser loaded radio. The resource balancer 108 can redistributethe load in an attempt to achieve a better throughput, a better userexperience, minimize blocking, reduce an amount of dropped calls and/orto achieve other considerations.

After the resources are balanced within the sector (e.g., the capacityof each carrier is within 1 dB of the average, for example), resourcesbetween sectors can be balanced. Included in system 400 is a sectorevaluator 402 that can be configured to balance the load across orbetween adjacent sectors (e.g., between neighboring sectors). Forexample, to ensure that network traffic is not lost, the sectorevaluator 402 can analyze coverage overlap between adjacent sectors andmake a determination whether there is enough overlap such that networktraffic can be moved (e.g., uniformly for all carriers on that sector)between the sectors. For example, resource balancer 108 can beconfigured to move network traffic from a first sector (e.g., the sectorhandling more network traffic) to a second sector (e.g., the sectorhandling less network traffic) until a balance between the sectors isachieved. In accordance with some aspects, resource balancer 108 canmove the network traffic between the sectors until there is not enoughcoverage overlap available.

In an UMTS implementation, the resource balancer 108 can be configuredto adjust the common pilot channel (CPICH) to push (e.g., re-route)network traffic from one sector to another sector. After some networktraffic is moved, sector evaluator 402 can measure the network trafficand, if the network traffic is essentially balanced, no further actionis taken. However, if the measurement by sector evaluator 402 revealsthat the network traffic between the sectors is still unbalanced,resource balancer 108 can move additional network traffic. The feedbackloop continues until the network traffic is nearly balanced between thesectors.

In accordance with some aspects, a condition can be established todetermine whether or not network traffic should be moved between thesectors. For example, the condition can be that unless the capacitylevel carrier is greater than a certain level, then no adjacent sectorbalancing is performed. Additionally or alternatively, the defaultparameter values before any changes were made can be stored in thedatabase 110. If network traffic levels drop below a certain level, thenthe original parameters retained in the database 110 can be restored.Further, parameter values at each iteration of the network trafficbalancing can be stored in the database and, if needed, those parametervalues can be reverted to if the network traffic level drops below thethreshold level.

In another example, system 400 can be configured to use timingpropagation delays, user device (e.g., handset) received GPSmeasurements, and so forth to determine the distance from the userdevice to the site. Based on this distance, it can be ascertainedwhether the user device could be moved to a different sector. If theuser device is close to the heavily loaded sector, the user device mightnot be moved to another sector. Instead, the respective distance ofother user devices can be evaluated and one or more of those devices canbe moved to a different sector. However, if the user device is fartheraway from the heavily loaded sector, it might be appropriate to move theuser device to another, less heavily loaded sector.

In a more detailed UMTS example, the overlap from Sector_ref to eachadjacent neighboring Sector_y can be estimated, as SHOry. For each SHOrythat is more than 1.3 dB, network traffic can be pushed from Sector_refto Sector_y by adjusting the CPICH. The network traffic of Sector_ref ascompared to each of Sector_y can be measured. If the network trafficmeasurements are essentially balanced (e.g., within some pre-definedmeasure), no further action is taken. If the network trafficmeasurements are not essentially balanced, the overlap from Sector_refto each adjacent neighboring Sector_y is estimated and the processrepeats. In such a manner, a continuous feedback loop is provided tomonitor and improve system performance.

As discussed above, the coverage can be allowed to change betweenadjacent sectors by using parameter changes (e.g., in UMTS using CPICH).However, adjusting coverage through parameters might not be used.Instead, changing the coverage through antenna pattern shaping (e.g.,tilts) can be utilized. One way to estimate what tilts are needed toobtain similar performance as the parameter changing approach, but byusing tilts instead can be performed by first performing the parameterchanges and then measuring the propagation delay of about 95% of theusers for both the starting configuration and the ending parameterconfiguration. After these propagation delay values are obtained, afterputting the parameters back to normal, the tilts can be adjusted inorder to obtain similar propagation delay profiles of the finalresulting parameter change configuration.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example, non-limiting system 500 configured tobalance resources based on user device activity level or mode, accordingto an aspect. Included in system 500 can be a mode distinguisher 502that can be configured to determine a mode for each user device anddistribute the load based on the mode and the resource(s) of interest.User devices can be in one of at least three modes, which include anactive mode, an idle mode, and other accessing devices (e.g., beingadmitting into the network, allowing utilization in the sector, and soforth).

Thus, the resource balancer 108 can move the network traffic between theradios (and/or between sectors) based on the activity of each respectiveuser device. For example, mode distinguisher 502 can identify the userdevices that are in idle mode (e.g., monitoring the network, campedwaiting to use the network) and resource balancer 108 can move thoseuser devices from a heavy used radio to a less heavily used radio.Moving the idle mode user devices allows those devices to access thecarrier unloaded when access is performed.

In another implementation, mode distinguisher 502 can identify userdevices that are actively using the carrier (or the radio) and resourcebalancer 108 can move the active user devices from a heavily used radioto a less heavily used radio. In this case, a forced handover can beperformed to redistribute the network traffic.

In a further implementation, mode distinguisher 502 might determine thatuser devices in the sectors (e.g., both active devices and idle devices)should not be moved between radios. Instead, user devices accessing thesector (e.g., obtaining access) should be directed by the resourcebalancer 108 (or another system component) to the radio that is lessheavily used, as determined by the resource manager 106.

According to an implementation, system 500 can include an outputcomponent 504 that can be configured to interface with one or more othercomponents (not shown), which can be components external to systemand/or components internal to system. In an implementation, Wi-Finetwork coverage can be incorporated with the wireless communicationsnetwork (e.g., co-located in the same sector area) and the resource tobe balanced might be the load associated with the Wi-Fi network coverageand the cellular network coverage in order to maintain (or to return to)an acceptable performance level.

Further to this example, if it is determined (e.g., by resource manager106) that the Wi-Fi network is being very heavily used, the resourcebalancer 108 can move at least some of the network traffic from theWi-Fi network to the cellular network. As used herein, the term“cellular” refers to any wireless technology including, but not limitedto UMTS, LTE, 3GPP, 3GPP2, CDMA, as well as other standards.

In another implementation, network traffic might be moved from cellularnetwork coverage to Wi-Fi network coverage. For example, when networktraffic is moved from the Wi-Fi network, the output component 504 cancommunicate with, for example, an access network discovery and selectionfunction (ANDSF). The ANDSF is an entity that assists with the discoveryof non-3GPP access networks and can assist with the rules and/orpolicies associated with those networks. Thus, system 500 can performthe determination of whether network traffic or other resources shouldbe distributed more evenly and, if needed, the information can becommunicated to the ANDSF (in this example) and the ANDSF can change thepolicy. According to an implementation, if the Wi-Fi network isoverloaded, the policy can be changed to re-route user devices off theWi-Fi network and onto the cellular network.

According to another example, scheduler slots are the resource ofinterest. If the scheduler is full and the entire face is full, but theWi-Fi network is available, it might be determined that network trafficshould be re-routed to the Wi-Fi network to assist in offloading theface from the data perspective. It should be noted that the networktraffic can be pushed in this manner, provided the service isappropriate and can manage the resources. For example, voicecommunications might not be able to be moved to the Wi-Fi network butdata communications might be able to be moved to the Wi-Fi network(e.g., if the user device is relatively stationary).

FIG. 6 illustrates an example, non-limiting system 600 that employs anartificial intelligence (AI) component 602, which can facilitateautomating one or more features in accordance with the disclosedaspects. A memory 102, a processor 104, a resource manager 106, aresource balancer 108, a database 110, and a sector evaluator 402, aswell as other components (not illustrated) can include functionality, asmore fully described herein, for example, with regard to the previousfigures. The disclosed aspects in connection with balancing networkresources can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out variousaspects thereof. For example, a process for observing the networkresources on each radio in a given sector (and/or between sectors) andredistributing the network resources between the radios in the sector(and/or between sectors), and so forth, can be facilitated with anexample automatic classifier system and process. In another example, aprocess for evaluating which mobile devices to distribute among variousradios based on the mode of the mobile device can be facilitated withthe example automatic classifier system and process.

An example classifier can be a function that maps an input attributevector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, xn), to a confidence that the input belongsto a class, that is, f(x)=confidence(class). Such classification canemploy a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g.,factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to prognose or infer anaction that can be automatically performed. In the case of communicationsystems, for example, attributes can be network resources associatedwith a pair of sectors and/or carriers, and the classes can be athreshold condition with respect to the number of network resources. Inanother example, the attributes can be network resources and the classescan be a mobile device mode with respect to distribution of the networkresources.

A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can beemployed. The SVM can operate by finding a hypersurface in the space ofpossible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggeringcriteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes theclassification correct for testing data that is near, but not identicalto training data. Other directed and undirected model classificationapproaches include, for example, naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks,decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilisticclassification models providing different patterns of independence canbe employed. Classification as used herein also may be inclusive ofstatistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

The disclosed aspects can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained(e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g.,via observing mobile device usage, observing network event occurrences,receiving extrinsic information, and so on). For example, SVMs can beconfigured via a learning or training phase within a classifierconstructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can beused to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, includingbut not limited to modifying one or more radio network parameters,moving network traffic between radios in a single sector, moving networktraffic between radios of different sectors, and so forth. The criteriacan include, but is not limited to, network traffic limitations, activemobile device applications, service provider preferences and/orpolicies, location of the mobile device, location of one or moresectors, and so on.

In view of the example systems shown and described herein, methods thatmay be implemented in accordance with the one or more of the disclosedaspects, will be better understood with reference to the following flowcharts. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodsare shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understoodthat the disclosed aspects are not limited by the number or order ofblocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or atsubstantially the same time with other blocks from what is depicted anddescribed herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be requiredto implement the methods described hereinafter. It is noted that thefunctionality associated with the blocks may be implemented by software,hardware, a combination thereof or any other suitable means (e.g.device, system, process, component). Additionally, it is also noted thatthe methods disclosed hereinafter and throughout this specification arecapable of being stored on an article of manufacture to facilitatetransporting and transferring such methodologies to various devices.Those skilled in the art will understand that a method couldalternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states orevents, such as in a state diagram. The various methods disclosed hereincan be performed by a system comprising at least one processor.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example, non-limiting method 700 for detectingthat a traffic load is unbalanced and automatically balancing thetraffic load, according to an aspect. At 702, a distribution of one ormore resources of interest on radios located in a single sector can beevaluated. At 704, a determination can be made whether the resource(s)of interest are unevenly distributed among radios located in the singlesector, according to a criterion. The criterion can be a predefinedcriterion and/or can dynamically change based on network status and/orbased on other conditions. For example, a determination can be madewhether (e.g., based on percentages of traffic handled or based onanother measurement) a first radio of the radios located in the singlesector is handling more network traffic than a second radio of theradios located in the single sector. If the resources are not unevenlydistributed (“NO”), method 700 can continue at 702 with furtherevaluation.

If the determination at 704 is that the resources are unevenlydistributed (“YES”), at 706, the resource is balanced among the firstradio and the second radio (e.g., according to the predefinedcriterion). For example, a first set of network traffic is directed fromthe first radio (e.g., the more heavily loaded radio) to the secondradio (e.g., the less heavily loaded radio). In accordance with someaspects, method 700 can return to 702 (e.g., a feedback loop) withreevaluation of the distribution of the resource of interest (or adifferent resource of interest) between the first radio and the secondradio. If it is determined, at 704, that the first radio is (still)handling more network traffic than the second radio, at 706, a secondset of network traffic can be directed (e.g., moved) from the firstradio to the second radio. In an implementation, directing the first setof network traffic, the second set of network traffic, or subsequentsets of network traffic can include adjusting an offset valuerepresenting an offset between the first radio and the second radio.

According to some implementations, evaluating and/or reevaluating thedistribution of one or more resources of interest can include evaluatinga distribution of a voice capability, a distribution of a datacapability, or a distribution of both voice capability and datacapability between the radios located in the single sector. Additionallyor alternatively, the evaluating and/or reevaluating can includeevaluating Wi-Fi network usage and cellular network usage between theradios located in the single sector.

In a further implementation, the method can include evaluatingdistribution of a load between the single sector and an adjacent sector.For example, the single sector can have a larger load as compared to theadjacent sector. In this case, network traffic can be moved from thesingle sector to the adjacent sector to balance the load between thesingle sector and the adjacent sector.

FIG. 8 illustrate an example, non-limiting method 800 configured tomanage resources in a wireless communications network, according to anaspect. At 802, distribution of a resource between a first radio and asecond radio within a sector is evaluated. In an implementation, theresource is a voice capability and the evaluation can include evaluatingdistribution of the voice capability between the first radio and thesecond radio within the sector. According to another implementation, theresource is a data capability and the evaluation can include evaluatingdistribution of the data capability between the first radio and thesecond radio within the sector. Additionally or alternatively, theevaluation can include evaluating Wi-Fi network usage and cellularnetwork usage between the first radio and the second radio within thesector. The resource of interest can be received in an input thatincludes data representing an identification of the resource, accordingto an aspect.

At 804, a determination is made whether the resource is distributedunevenly. For example, it might be determined that the first radiocomprises a higher distribution of the resource (e.g., is more heavilyloaded) than the second radio. If the resources are distributed fairlyevenly (“NO”), method 800 continues at 802 with further evaluation.

If the resources are not distributed fairly evenly (“YES”), at 806, theresource is balanced among the first radio and the second radio withinthe sector. For example, the resource can be balanced to more evenlydistribute the resource between the first radio and the second radio.

According to an implementation, the balancing can include identifyingrespective operation modes of user devices using the first radio or thesecond radio and distributing the user devices between the first radioand the second radio based on the respective operation modes of the userdevices. For example, the distributing can include moving idle mode userdevices from the first radio to the second radio. In another example,the distributing can include moving active mode user devices from thefirst radio to the second radio. In yet another example, thedistributing can include allowing other access user devices utilizationin the sector, wherein the other access user devices are connected tothe second radio.

In an implementation, method can include determining an average capacityfor the first radio and the second radio and determining a firstcapacity difference from the average capacity for the first radio and asecond capacity difference from the average capacity for the secondradio. One or more parameters can be changed, using small or predefinedincrements, in order to level a load between the first radio and thesecond radio based on the first average capacity difference and thesecond average capacity difference.

Method 800 can also include evaluating, at 808, distribution of a loadbetween the sector and an adjacent sector. For example, it can bedetermined whether the load between the adjacent sectors is distributedunevenly. If not distributed unevenly or distributed within a certainpercentage difference (“NO”), method can continue at 802 and/or 808 withfurther evaluation.

If the determination at 808 is that the resources are distributedunevenly (“YES”), for example, it can be determined that the sector hasa larger load compared to the adjacent sector. Thus, method 800 cancontinue at 810 and the resources can be balanced between the sectors.For example, network traffic can be moved from the heavily loaded sectorto the adjacent sector to balance the load between the sector and theadjacent sector.

By way of further description with respect to one or more non-limitingways to detect unbalanced networks loads for radios within a sectorand/or between sectors, FIG. 9 is a schematic example wirelessenvironment 900 that can operate in accordance with aspects describedherein. In particular, example wireless environment 900 illustrates aset of wireless network macro cells. Three coverage macro cells 902,904, and 906 include the illustrative wireless environment; however, itis noted that wireless cellular network deployments can encompass anynumber of macro cells. Coverage macro cells 902, 904, and 906 areillustrated as hexagons; however, coverage cells can adopt othergeometries generally dictated by a deployment configuration or floorplan, geographic areas to be covered, and so on. Each macro cell 902,904, and 906 is sectorized in a 2π/3 configuration in which each macrocell includes three sectors, demarcated with dashed lines in FIG. 9. Itis noted that other sectorizations are possible, and aspects or featuresof the disclosed subject matter can be exploited regardless of type ofsectorization. Macro cells 902, 904, and 906 are served respectivelythrough base stations or eNodeBs 908, 910, and 912. Any two eNodeBs canbe considered an eNodeB site pair (NBSP). It is noted that radiocomponent(s) are functionally coupled through links such as cables(e.g., RF and microwave coaxial lines), ports, switches, connectors, andthe like, to a set of one or more antennas that transmit and receivewireless signals (not illustrated). It is noted that a radio networkcontroller (not shown), which can be a part of mobile networkplatform(s) 914, and set of base stations (e.g., eNode B 908, 910, and912) that serve a set of macro cells; electronic circuitry or componentsassociated with the base stations in the set of base stations; a set ofrespective wireless links (e.g., links 916, 918, and 920) operated inaccordance to a radio technology through the base stations, form a macroradio access network (RAN). It is further noted that, based on networkfeatures, the radio controller can be distributed among the set of basestations or associated radio equipment. In an aspect, for UMTS-basednetworks, wireless links 916, 918, and 920 embody a Uu interface (UMTSAir Interface).

Mobile network platform(s) 914 facilitates circuit switched (CS)-based(e.g., voice and data) and packet-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol(IP), frame relay, or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) traffic andsignaling generation, as well as delivery and reception for networkedtelecommunication, in accordance with various radio technologies fordisparate markets. Telecommunication is based at least in part onstandardized protocols for communication determined by a radiotechnology utilized for communication. In addition, telecommunicationcan exploit various frequency bands, or carriers, which include any EMfrequency bands licensed by the service provider network 922 (e.g.,personal communication services (PCS), advanced wireless services (AWS),general wireless communications service (GWCS), and so forth), and anyunlicensed frequency bands currently available for telecommunication(e.g., the 2.4 GHz industrial, medical and scientific (IMS) band or oneor more of the 5 GHz set of bands). In addition, mobile networkplatform(s) 914 can control and manage base stations 908, 910, and 912and radio component(s) associated thereof, in disparate macro cells 902,904, and 906 by way of, for example, a wireless network managementcomponent (e.g., radio network controller(s), cellular gateway node(s),etc.) Moreover, wireless network platform(s) can integrate disparatenetworks (e.g., femto network(s), Wi-Fi network(s), femto cellnetwork(s), broadband network(s), service network(s), enterprisenetwork(s), and so on). In cellular wireless technologies (e.g., 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Universal Mobile TelecommunicationSystem (UMTS), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)), mobilenetwork platform 914 can be embodied in the service provider network922.

In addition, wireless backhaul link(s) 924 can include wired linkcomponents such as T1/E1 phone line; a digital subscriber line (DSL)either synchronous or asynchronous; an asymmetric DSL (ADSL); an opticalfiber backbone; a coaxial cable, etc.; and wireless link components suchas line-of-sight (LOS) or non-LOS links which can include terrestrialair-interfaces or deep space links (e.g., satellite communication linksfor navigation). In an aspect, for UMTS-based networks, wirelessbackhaul link(s) 924 embodies IuB interface.

It is noted that while exemplary wireless environment 900 is illustratedfor macro cells and macro base stations, aspects, features andadvantages of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented inmicrocells, picocells, femto cells, or the like, wherein base stationsare embodied in home-based equipment related to access to a network.

To provide further context for various aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter, FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of accessequipment and/or software 1000 related to access of a network (e.g.,base station, wireless access point, femtocell access point, and soforth) that can enable and/or exploit features or aspects of thedisclosed aspects.

Access equipment and/or software 1000 related to access of a network canreceive and transmit signal(s) from and to wireless devices, wirelessports, wireless routers, etc. through segments 1002 ₁-1002 _(B) (B is apositive integer). Segments 1002 ₁-1002 _(B) can be internal and/orexternal to access equipment and/or software 1000 related to access of anetwork, and can be controlled by a monitor component 1004 and anantenna component 1006. Monitor component 1004 and antenna component1006 can couple to communication platform 1008, which can includeelectronic components and associated circuitry that provide forprocessing and manipulation of received signal(s) and other signal(s) tobe transmitted.

In an aspect, communication platform 1008 includes areceiver/transmitter 1010 that can convert analog signals to digitalsignals upon reception of the analog signals, and can convert digitalsignals to analog signals upon transmission. In addition,receiver/transmitter 1010 can divide a single data stream into multiple,parallel data streams, or perform the reciprocal operation. Coupled toreceiver/transmitter 1010 can be a multiplexer/demultiplexer 1012 thatcan facilitate manipulation of signals in time and frequency space.Multiplexer/demultiplexer 1012 can multiplex information (data/trafficand control/signaling) according to various multiplexing schemes such astime division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM),orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), code divisionmultiplexing (CDM), space division multiplexing (SDM). In addition,multiplexer/demultiplexer component 1012 can scramble and spreadinformation (e.g., codes, according to substantially any code known inthe art, such as Hadamard-Walsh codes, Baker codes, Kasami codes,polyphase codes, and so forth).

A modulator/demodulator 1014 is also a part of communication platform1008, and can modulate information according to multiple modulationtechniques, such as frequency modulation, amplitude modulation (e.g.,M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), with M a positive integer);phase-shift keying (PSK); and so forth).

Access equipment and/or software 1000 related to access of a networkalso includes a processor 1016 configured to confer, at least in part,functionality to substantially any electronic component in accessequipment and/or software 1000. In particular, processor 1016 canfacilitate configuration of access equipment and/or software 1000through, for example, monitor component 1004, antenna component 1006,and one or more components therein. Additionally, access equipmentand/or software 1000 can include display interface 1018, which candisplay functions that control functionality of access equipment and/orsoftware 1000, or reveal operation conditions thereof. In addition,display interface 1018 can include a screen to convey information to anend user. In an aspect, display interface 1018 can be an LCD (LiquidCrystal Display), a plasma panel, a monolithic thin-film basedelectrochromic display, and so on. Moreover, display interface 1018 caninclude a component (e.g., speaker) that facilitates communication ofaural indicia, which can also be employed in connection with messagesthat convey operational instructions to an end user. Display interface1018 can also facilitate data entry (e.g., through a linked keypad orthrough touch gestures), which can cause access equipment and/orsoftware 1000 to receive external commands (e.g., restart operation).

Broadband network interface 1020 facilitates connection of accessequipment and/or software 1000 to a service provider network (not shown)that can include one or more cellular technologies (e.g., 3GPP UMTS,GSM, and so on.) through backhaul link(s) (not shown), which enableincoming and outgoing data flow. Broadband network interface 1020 can beinternal or external to access equipment and/or software 1000, and canutilize display interface 1018 for end-user interaction and statusinformation delivery.

Processor 1016 can be functionally connected to communication platform1008 and can facilitate operations on data (e.g., symbols, bits, orchips) for multiplexing/demultiplexing, such as effecting direct andinverse fast Fourier transforms, selection of modulation rates,selection of data packet formats, inter-packet times, and so on.Moreover, processor 1016 can be functionally connected, through data,system, or an address bus 1022, to display interface 1018 and broadbandnetwork interface 1020, to confer, at least in part, functionality toeach of such components.

In access equipment and/or software 1000, memory 1024 can retainlocation and/or coverage area (e.g., macro sector, identifier(s)),access list(s) that authorize access to wireless coverage through accessequipment and/or software 1000, sector intelligence that can includeranking of coverage areas in the wireless environment of accessequipment and/or software 1000, radio link quality and strengthassociated therewith, or the like. Memory 1024 also can store datastructures, code instructions and program modules, system or deviceinformation, code sequences for scrambling, spreading and pilottransmission, access point configuration, and so on. Processor 1016 canbe coupled (e.g., through a memory bus), to memory 1024 in order tostore and retrieve information used to operate and/or conferfunctionality to the components, platform, and interface that residewithin access equipment and/or software 1000.

As it employed in the subject specification, the term “processor” canrefer to substantially any computing processing unit or deviceincluding, but not limited to including, single-core processors;single-processors with software multithread execution capability;multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithreadexecution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithreadtechnology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributedshared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integratedcircuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digitalsignal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), aprogrammable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device(CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsand/or processes described herein. Processors can exploit nano-scalearchitectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dotbased transistors, switches and gates, in order to improve space usageor enhance performance of mobile devices. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing processing units.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “data store,” datastorage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storagecomponent relevant to operation and functionality of a component and/orprocess, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory,” or components including the memory. It is noted that thememory components described herein can be either volatile memory ornonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

By way of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory, forexample, can be included in memory 1024, non-volatile memory (seebelow), disk storage (see below), and memory storage (see below).Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory caninclude random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory.By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in manyforms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronousDRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM(ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to include, without being limited to including,these and any other suitable types of memory.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 11, and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe various aspects also can be implemented in combination with otherprogram modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and/orimplement particular abstract data types. For example, in memory (suchas memory 102) there can be software, which can instruct a processor(such as processor 104) to perform various actions. The processor can beconfigured to execute the instructions in order to implement theanalysis of monitoring an uplink power level, detecting the uplink powerlevel is at or above a threshold level, and/or disable transmission ofat least one message as a result of the monitored uplink power level.

Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the variousaspects can be practiced with other computer system configurations,including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems,mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, base stations hand-held computing devices or user equipment,such as a PDA, phone, watch, and so forth, processor-basedcomputers/systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer orindustrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subjectdisclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributedcomputing environment, program modules can be located in both local andremote memory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 11, a block diagram of a computing system 1100operable to execute the disclosed systems and methods is illustrated, inaccordance with an embodiment. Computer 1102 includes a processing unit1104, a system memory 1106, and a system bus 1108. System bus 1108couples system components including, but not limited to, system memory1106 to processing unit 1104. Processing unit 1104 can be any of variousavailable processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessorarchitectures also can be employed as processing unit 1104.

System bus 1108 can be any of several types of bus structure(s)including a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus or anexternal bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available busarchitectures including, but not limited to, Industrial StandardArchitecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA(EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB),Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus(USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association bus (PCMCIA), Firewire (IEEE 1194), and SmallComputer Systems Interface (SCSI).

System memory 1106 includes volatile memory 1110 and nonvolatile memory1112. A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing routines totransfer information between elements within computer 1102, such asduring start-up, can be stored in nonvolatile memory 1112. By way ofillustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory 1112 can includeROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or flash memory. Volatile memory 1110 caninclude RAM, which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustrationand not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as SRAM, dynamicRAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), Rambus directRAM (RDRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM(RDRAM).

Computer 1102 also includes removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. In an implementation,provided is a non-transitory or tangible computer-readable mediumstoring computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution,cause a system including a processor to perform operations. Theoperations can include determining a mean capacity for a first carrierin a sector and a second carrier in the sector. The operations can alsoinclude determining a first average capacity difference from the meancapacity for the first carrier and a second average capacity differencefrom the mean capacity for the second carrier. Further, the operationscan include changing a first parameter (e.g., a parameter betweencarriers (e.g., radios), a parameter between sectors (e.g., sites), andso forth) to level a load between the first carrier and the secondcarrier. The load is level when the first average capacity differenceand the second average capacity difference are nearly equal. As utilizedherein, nearly equal can mean equal, within a few values, within acertain range, within a percentage, plus or minus a specific value, andso on,

In accordance with some aspects, the operations can include determiningthat the load between the first carrier and the second carrier is notnearly equal and changing the first parameter or a second parameter tolevel the load between the first carrier and the second carrier. In afurther aspect, the operations can include estimating a network trafficoverlap between the sector and an adjacent sector and pushing trafficfrom the sector to the adjacent sector, wherein a first traffic load ofthe sector is heavier than a second traffic load of the adjacent sector.

FIG. 11 illustrates, for example, disk storage 1114. Disk storage 1114includes, but is not limited to, devices such as a magnetic disk drive,floppy disk drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flashmemory card, or memory stick. In addition, disk storage 1114 can includestorage media separately or in combination with other storage mediaincluding, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a compactdisk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CDrewritable drive (CD-RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive(DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of the disk storage 1114 to systembus 1108, a removable or non-removable interface is typically used, suchas interface component 1116.

It is to be noted that FIG. 11 describes software that acts as anintermediary between users and computer resources described in suitableoperating environment. Such software includes an operating system 1118.Operating system 1118, which can be stored on disk storage 1114, acts tocontrol and allocate resources of computer system 1102. Systemapplications 1120 can take advantage of the management of resources byoperating system 1118 through program modules 1122 and program data 1124stored either in system memory 1106 or on disk storage 1114. It is to beunderstood that the disclosed subject matter can be implemented withvarious operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands or information, for example through interfacecomponent 1116, into computer system 1102 through input device(s) 1126.Input devices 1126 include, but are not limited to, a pointing devicesuch as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone,joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TV tuner card, digitalcamera, digital video camera, web camera, and the like. These and otherinput devices connect to processing unit 1104 through system bus 1108through interface port(s) 1128. Interface port(s) 1128 include, forexample, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a universalserial bus (USB). Output device(s) 1130 use some of the same type ofports as input device(s) 1126.

Thus, for example, a USB port can be used to provide input to computer1102 and to output information from computer 1102 to an output device1130. Output adapter 1132 is provided to illustrate that there are someoutput devices 1130, such as monitors, speakers, and printers, amongother output devices 1130, which use special adapters. Output adapters1132 include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and soundcards that provide means of connection between output device 1130 andsystem bus 1108. It is also noted that other devices and/or systems ofdevices provide both input and output capabilities such as remotecomputer(s) 1134.

Computer 1102 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1134. Remote computer(s) 1134 can be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance, apeer device, or other common network node and the like, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to computer1102.

For purposes of brevity, only one memory storage device 1136 isillustrated with remote computer(s) 1134. Remote computer(s) 1134 islogically connected to computer 1102 through a network interface 1138and then physically connected through communication connection 1140.Network interface 1138 encompasses wire and/or wireless communicationnetworks such as local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN).LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), CopperDistributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet, Token Ring and the like.WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links,circuit switching networks like Integrated Services Digital Networks(ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks, and DigitalSubscriber Lines (DSL).

Communication connection(s) 1140 refer(s) to hardware/software employedto connect network interface 1138 to system bus 1108. Whilecommunication connection 1140 is shown for illustrative clarity insidecomputer 1102, it can also be external to computer 1102. Thehardware/software for connection to network interface 1138 can include,for example, internal and external technologies such as modems,including regular telephone grade modems, cable modems and DSL modems,ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards.

It is to be noted that aspects, features, or advantages of the aspectsdescribed in the subject specification can be exploited in substantiallyany communication technology. For example, 4G technologies, Wi-Fi,WiMAX, Enhanced GPRS, 3GPP LTE, 3GPP2 UMB, 3GPP UMTS, HSPA, HSDPA,HSUPA, GERAN, UTRAN, LTE Advanced. Additionally, substantially allaspects disclosed herein can be exploited in legacy telecommunicationtechnologies; e.g., GSM. In addition, mobile as well non-mobile networks(e.g., Internet, data service network such as IPTV) can exploit aspector features described herein.

Various aspects or features described herein can be implemented as amethod, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programmingand/or engineering techniques. In addition, various aspects disclosed inthe subject specification can also be implemented through programmodules stored in a memory and executed by a processor, or othercombination of hardware and software, or hardware and firmware.

Other combinations of hardware and software or hardware and firmware canenable or implement aspects described herein, including disclosedmethod(s). The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intendedto encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice, carrier, or media. For example, computer readable media caninclude but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., harddisk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical discs (e.g., compactdisc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), blu-ray disc (BD) . . . ),smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . .. ).

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable storage media or communications media, whichtwo terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.

Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structureddata, or unstructured data. Computer-readable storage media can include,but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitorymedia which can be used to store desired information. Computer-readablestorage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computingdevices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrievalprotocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the informationstored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

What has been described above includes examples of systems and methodsthat provide advantages of the one or more aspects. It is, of course,not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components ormethods for purposes of describing the aspects, but one of ordinaryskill in the art may recognize that many further combinations andpermutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Furthermore, tothe extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “possesses,” and the likeare used in the detailed description, claims, appendices and drawingssuch terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,” “module”,and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or anentity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specificfunctionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, acombination of hardware and software, software, or software inexecution. As an example, a component may be, but is not limited tobeing, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, anexecutable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, aprogram, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an applicationrunning on a server or network controller, and the server or networkcontroller can be a component. One or more components may reside withina process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized onone computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also,these components can execute from various computer readable media havingvarious data structures stored thereon. The components may communicatevia local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signalhaving one or more data packets (e.g., data from one componentinteracting with another component in a local system, distributedsystem, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systemsvia the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatuswith specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated byelectric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software, orfirmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor canbe internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part ofthe software or firmware application. As yet another example, acomponent can be an apparatus that provides specific functionalitythrough electronic components without mechanical parts, the electroniccomponents can include a processor therein to execute software orfirmware that confers at least in part the functionality of theelectronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s) caninclude input/output (I/O) components as well as associated processor,application, or Application Programming Interface (API) components.

The term “set”, “subset”, or the like as employed herein excludes theempty set (e.g., the set with no elements therein). Thus, a “set”,“subset”, or the like includes one or more elements or periods, forexample. As an illustration, a set of periods includes one or moreperiods; a set of transmissions includes one or more transmissions; aset of resources includes one or more resources; a set of messagesincludes one or more messages, and so forth.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the naturalinclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or Xemploys both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any ofthe foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in thesubject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construedto mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from contextto be directed to a singular form.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: evaluatinga distribution of a resource between a first radio of a first networkdevice within a first sector and a second radio of a second networkdevice within a second sector; determining a first average data capacityfor the first radio; determining a second average data capacity for thesecond radio; determining a first data capacity difference between afirst data capacity of the first radio and the first average datacapacity of the first radio; determining a second data capacitydifference between a second data capacity of the second radio and thesecond average data capacity of the second radio; based on thedetermining the first data capacity difference of the first radio andthe determining the second data capacity difference of the second radio,determining that the resource is distributed unevenly according to afirst distribution; and balancing the resource among the first radio andthe second radio to more evenly distribute the resource between thefirst radio and the second radio according to a second distribution moreevenly distributed than the first distribution.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the first sector is adjacent to the second sector.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the resource is voice data and wherein theevaluating comprises evaluating the distribution of the voice databetween the first radio and the second radio.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the resource is text data.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theresource comprises voice data and text data.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the balancing the resource comprises adjusting a parameterassociated with the balancing the resource by a predefined increment. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:distributing a portion of the resource associated with user devicesbetween the first radio and the second radio based on operation modes ofthe user devices.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the distributingcomprises transitioning a user device in idle mode from the first radioto the second radio.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluatingcomprises evaluating Wi-Fi network usage and cellular network usagebetween first radio and the second radio.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the balancing comprises: moving a communication associated withan active mode user device from the first radio to the second radio. 11.The system of claim 1, wherein the resource is a network load andwherein the operations further comprise: moving network traffic from thefirst sector to an adjacent sector to balance the network load betweenthe first sector and the adjacent sector.
 12. A method, comprising:evaluating, by a system comprising a processor, a distribution of aresource across radios located in a single sector resulting in a firstvoice capacity value of a first radio; based on the first voice capacityvalue of the first radio being determined to be higher than an averagevoice capacity value of the first radio, determining, by the system,that the first radio of the radios located in the single sector ishandling more network traffic than a second radio of the radios locatedin the single sector; directing, by the system, first network trafficassociated with a device from the first radio to the second radio basedon the determining; and adjusting an offset value representing an offsetto bias the directing the first network traffic from the first radio tothe second radio based on a difference between the first voice capacityvalue of the first radio and the average voice capacity value of thefirst radio.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the directing comprisesdirecting based on an operation mode of the device, and wherein theoperation mode is one mode from a group of modes comprising an activemode and an idle mode associated with different levels of activity withrespect to the radios.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein theevaluating comprises evaluating respective Wi-Fi network usage andrespective cellular network usage between first radio and the secondradio.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprisesevaluating a first portion of the distribution associated with a voicecapability and a second portion of the distribution associated with adata capability between the radios located in the single sector.
 16. Amachine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance ofoperations, comprising: determining a first average power capacity for afirst radio in a sector; determining a second average power capacity fora second radio in the sector; determining a first power capacitydifference from the first average power capacity for the first radio anda second power capacity difference from the second average powercapacity for the second radio; and incrementally adjusting, based on thefirst power capacity difference, an offset value of a first parameterbetween the first radio and the second radio to level a traffic loadbetween the first radio and the second radio.
 17. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:determining that the traffic load between the first radio and the secondradio is not equal; and changing the first parameter or a secondparameter to level the traffic load between the first radio and thesecond radio.
 18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16,wherein the operations further comprise: re-routing network traffic fromthe sector to an adjacent sector, and wherein a first traffic load ofthe sector is determined to be heavier than a second traffic load of theadjacent sector.
 19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16,wherein the offset value represents an offset to bias distributing aportion of a resource to the second radio based on an energy perchip-to-total noise of the second radio.
 20. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the offset value represents anoffset to bias distributing a portion of a resource to the second radiobased on an interference power spectral density of the second radio.